‘Luke Cage’ Recap, Episode 3: Money Is Power

In Harlem, money is power.

It’s how Cottonmouth (Mahershala Ali) maintains control over most things and most people. It’s how in Luke Cage, Episode 3, “Who’s Gonna Take The Weight,” he gets the funeral home director to dispose of Tone’s body. It’s what he’ll use to assuage his guilt over his role in Pop’s death, paying for the funeral and giving Pop a casket with an over the top gold flourish. And it’s how he asserts dominance over his former Harlem’s Paradise employee Luke Cage (Mike Colter) during their brief yet tense meeting in the funeral home. You see, Luke believes integrity makes men like him and Pop superior to criminals like Cottonmouth and his “bloody guilt money.” But Cottonmouth is going to make sure Luke knows his place. “How’s the job search coming, dishwasher?” he asks his the broke man who had been audacious enough to question his integrity and worth, the word dishwasher dripping with contempt.

Luke goes to visit the Barbershop where he finds Fish, the shop’s resident chess player. Fish and Pop go way back to playing chess at Marcus Garvey Park in their youth, and in their later years, Fish was Pop’s tax accountant. Fish knows that the Barbershop is in danger of closing, as Pop was at least $80 grand in debt on it. Neither Luke nor Fish has that kind of bread, but Luke is determined to keep Pop’s sanctuary for kids open, and he’ll make Cottonmouth pay for it. There won’t be an all-out war, though; Luke doesn’t have to do any physical harm to the Crime Boss. He’ll wage war on Cottonmouth’s money, and undermine him that way.

Luke visits the Chico at the hospital to get intel on Cottonmouth’s organization. Through Dante, Chico had learned that Cottonmouth runs guns, Mariah (Alfre Woodard) handles the money, and that they have drops and stash houses throughout the city. The central bank is in the Crispus Attucks Complex, where Mariah is headquartered. Of course, a place like that is not easily accessible, and Chico notes that the place is a fortress. There’s one entrance and exit, armed goons all over, and a locked room in the center of the building that functions as a vault.

Since the robbery at the arms deal, Cottonmouth’s street level people and stash houses have been been getting robbed, presumably by the would be arms buyer Colon and his people. Cottonmouth thinks it may be a good idea to move the money from the stash houses to the Crispus Attucks Complex. Mariah does not want Crispus Attucks to become “Fort Knox” as Cottonmouth refers to it, because she believes in her dream of turning the complex into affordable housing for the people in her community. Mariah eventually wants to create housing beyond the Crispus Attucks one, that will “keep Harlem Black and us in the green.” Mariah reminds Cottonmouth that Mama Mabel, the grandmother they shared, was a criminal, yes, but she used the money she made to help the community. Mama Mabel’s duality unites their interests and Cottonmouth reaffirms this. “You focus on the black, I’ll focus on our green.”

Luke is focused on Cottonmouth’s green, too. Luke attacks a few of the stash houses, though he leaves the men alive and he leaves behind the cash. Colon visits Harlem’s Paradise to correct the record on the stash house robbery rumors, and to demand a refund for the arms he lost in the robbery at the sale. Cottonmouth refuses. Colon’s “esta bien” response is a little too calm. Cottonmouth knows a war is on the horizon.

Cottonmouth’s money is moved to Crispus Attucks Complex, like Luke had hoped. He readies himself for the raid, putting his hood over his head whilst the Wu Tang Clan’s “Bring the Ruckus” blares in his earphones. (Pop’s swear jar has left its mark. He’s listening to the censored version of the song!) Luke makes his way through the fortress rather easily, knocking out all of Cottonmouth’s armed goons along the way. By the time Luke reaches the money room at the center of the building, his grey hoodie is riddled with bullets. It’s an homage to Trayvon Martin, the unarmed black boy who had been killed by a reckless vigilante in 2012. Only now, the black man in the hoodie is bulletproof, and it’s he who is the vigilante fighting for good, and not the criminal he was presumed to be. Vigilante Luke takes a duffel bag full of cash, and heads out.

Meanwhile, Detectives Misty Knight (Simone Missick) and Rafael Scarfe haven’t given up on their investigation, though their journey to Cottonmouth’s take down is a lot slower and a lot less exciting. Misty tries to get Chico to cooperate with her investigation, but he refuses. Misty leaves the room in frustration, but Scarfe stays behind and releases Chico, hoping that his fear of being caught by Cottonmouth’s people out on the streets engenders a willingness to cooperate.

Misty runs into Luke on her way out of Chico’s room as he heads in to get information from Chico. Their exchange is very sexually charged and very angry, what with Misty’s suspicions about Luke and his nearness to the players in the crimes she’s investigating, and Luke’s anger at Misty for having lied to him. Misty’s suspicions about Luke are only furthered when she recognizes him in the surveillance photo from the Crispus Attucks scene.

Scarfe gets a call from Chico, who has remembered all of Pop’s lessons about accountability, and wants to cooperate in the investigation into Cottonmouth. He’s ready to give up everything he knows about Cottonmouth’s goings on, including the string of hits on his stash houses by Luke Cage. Suddenly, Scarfe uses his necktie to strangle Chico to death! Did anyone see this coming? I didn’t! Dirty cops are all over the noir comic book genre, but I guess I’d been lulled to sleep by Misty’s wholesomeness and trust in her partner. Bummer.

Back at Harlem’s Paradise, Cottonmouth is blowing off some steam by taking a baseball bat to several items in his office. Luke’s raid brought the attention of the police, who confiscated a whopping 80% of Cottonmouth’s financial reserves, and the investigation into this large sum of cash has undermined Mariah’s standing with the community. Scarfe arrives at the night club, where it is revealed that Scarfe is a pig on Cottonmouth’s payroll! Scarfe delivers the news of Chico’s death, and names Luke as the Crispus Attucks Complex raider. Oh and to make matters worse, Scarfe is a creep who has been secretly using GPS to keep tabs on Misty, even on her personal time, and so because of her dalliance with Luke, Scarfe has Luke’s home address too. Dammit. What a sleaze.

Luke makes his way to the Barbershop where he proudly gives Fish enough money to save the shop. He then goes to eat at his Landlord Connie’s Chinese restaurant, where he gives her a sizable chunk of change for his meal. “Where’d the money come from?” Connie asks, warily. “Doesn’t matter” Luke replies, feeling victorious. “What matters is what you do with it.” That victory is short lived, though. From a roof across the street, Cottonmouth takes aim and shoots a rocket launcher into Connie’s restaurant, leaving the venue a fiery mess. Yes, Luke hit Cottonmouth where it hurts. But Cottonmouth’s money is long as is his reach, and having a pig on payroll and the money and access to a rocket launcher means that for now, Cottonmouth is all powerful.

[Watch Luke Cage, “Who’s Gonna Take The Weight?” on Netflix]

Rae Sanni is a comedian and writer from Brooklyn, NY who has been bringing her unique perspective on everything from pop culture to race and gender relations to audiences all over. Rae co-hosts the monthly stand up comedy show LoudMouth!. You can find Rae on Twitter @Raesanni, where she muses on her love for Rihanna, NBA players, and being a black person.